The Mountaineers now know who their opponent will be tomorrow for round 2 of the Big 12 championship. West Virginia will face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Read more: West Virginia Set To Play Cincinnati In Round 2 Of Big 12 Championship.
Recapping Cincinnati’s Victory Over Texas Tech
The Bearcats defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders Wednesday afternoon by a score of 6-5. Cincinnati started scoring in the bottom of the second when outfielder Derrick Pitts drove in a runner from second base to give the Bearcats the 1-0 advantage.
The Red Raiders responded quickly in the top of the third. Shortstop Coleman Ryan would bring catcher Davis Rivers home on an RBI groundout to tie the game at 1.
The Bearcats wasted no time reclaiming the lead as catcher Jack Natili hit a triple. The hit drove in infielder Kerrington Cross to put Cincinnati back on top 2-1. Natili crossedf home on a sacrifice fly from infielder Quinton Coats, extending the Bearcat lead to 3-1.
Derrick Coats earned his second RBI of the day, bringing home outfielder Cal Sefcik on a sacrifice groundout to give Cincinnati a 4-1 lead.
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The Red Raiders finally answered in the top of the sixth inning with a solo home run from first baseman Robin Villeneuve to cut Cincinnati’s lead in half. The Bearcats responded in the bottom of the sixth as a high throw from third baseman Peyton Schulze allowed the runner at third base to score to give Cincinnati a 5-2 lead.
The Red Raiders added a run in the top of the seventh with a gap shot between the left fielder and center fielder for Cincinnati, allowing the runner to score from first base to cut the lead to 5-3.
Quinton Coats answered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the seventh to extend the Bearcats lead 6-3. The Red Raiders added two runs in the top of the eighth, but the rally would fall short as they would fall to the Bearcats 6-5.
A Look Back At WVU’s Last Matchup Vs UC
The Mountaineers and Bearcats met a little over a month ago in Morgantown where the Mountaineers would go on to sweep the Bearcats in the three-game series, outscoring Cincinnati 19-10 in the series.
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Preview OF Tomorrow’s Matchup Vs Cincinnati
The Mountaineers come into the matchup as a team looking for answers. West Virginia was a powerhouse to start the season, rolling past most of their competition, including Cincinnati. But recently the Mountaineers have struggled. The’ve lost seven of their last 10 games, including season-ending sweep by the Kansas Jayhawks in a 3-game series in Morgantown. The Jayhawks outscored the Mountaineers 18-5.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati is trending in the opposite direction. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games in the regular season. Much of their success was due to Cross. The infielder is batting .405 to lead the conference, netting 12 home runs and 49 RBI’s this season.
Despite the Mountaineers recent slide, they were still able to secure the Big 12 Conference title, earning an automatic bid to the second round of the tournament. Will the extra day of rest give West Virginia the advantage over the Besrcats? Or will the Mountaineers continue their slide into the championship tournament? We shall see tomorrow when the teams take the field at 1:30 p.m. ET.
